Meatball Sub Sandwich
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These meatball sub sandwiches are a super-easy, low-effort crowd-pleaser. Meatballs, marinara sauce, cheese, and hoagie rolls—that’s it! Perfect for a first-night camping dinner or easy hot lunch.
These meatball subs are a surefire hit and make the perfect one-pot dinner for your first night at camp. You can prep homemade meatballs ahead of time, or save yourself the effort and grab a bag of frozen ones.
Either way, the sauce comes together in minutes with a simple jar of marinara, so you can spend less time cooking and more time settling into camp.
Once the meatballs are simmering, all that’s left is to line the buns with cheese, ladle in some meatballs and sauce, and dinner is done! This comfort food classic is flavorful, filling, fast, and keeps cleanup to a minimum.
Camping with a toddler and baby means we’re always looking for an easy win at mealtime. We made these meatball sub sandwiches for lunch at Trillium Lake and for a first-night dinner at Big River Campground this summer. Tested in the field and kid-approved, these have definitely earned a spot on our future camping trip menus!
-Megan & Michael
Pre-trip Prep
- If you’re making your meatballs from scratch, consider freezing them if you’re using a cooler. They will keep their shape better and count towards your ice ratio in the cooler. The meatballs will begin to defrost before your meal, and then you can just add them into the sauce to heat them up.
- If you bought a 25-oz jar of sauce, consider dividing it at home into a mason jar so you don’t have a half-used jar at the campsite (or, use the other half as sauce for camp pizza another night—that’s what we did!).
Tips for making this camping
- Meatball subs usually have cheese melted on top, but without an oven to toast them, the cheese won’t melt enough at camp. So, we place the cheese on the rolls first and then top with the hot meatballs and sauce so the cheese gets nice and melty. We topped them with some grated parmesan.
- We love the collapsible pot pictured above—it was big enough to make this recipe for our family of 4, and the marinara sauce didn’t stain it at all.
Ingredient Substitutions and Notes
- If you have the bandwidth, you can make the meatballs ahead of time from scratch (our recipe is included below) and freeze them. But buying store-bought frozen meatballs turns this meal into a zero-prep, heat-and-eat winner.
- A 25-oz jar of marinara sauce is too much sauce. Either divide it at home, or buy a jar of pizza sauce (14 oz) instead.
- Totally up to your preference, but shredded mozzarella or slices of provolone or American cheese are all great options.
- Top-sliced hoagie rolls are vastly superior to side-sliced, if you can find them (Trader Joes had the this summer). They stand up on their own and are less prone to splitting.
- To make this meal vegan-friendly, use store-bought meatless frozen meatballs (we like the ones from Trader Joes) and swap out the cheese for your favorite vegan cheese alternative.
Meatball Sub Sandwiches
Ingredients
Instructions
Meatball Recipe (Make Ahead)
- Combine the ground beef, parmesan cheese, panko, egg, minced garlic, minced shallot, and salt together in a bowl.1 lb ground beef, ½ cup parmesan cheese, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 3 garlic cloves, 1 shallot, ½ tsp salt
- Roll into 1” balls and place on a lightly greased baking sheet
- Place in the oven on top rack. Broil on high for 7-10 minutes. Until the internal temperature reaches 160°F and the exterior is browned.
- Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Transfer to a resealable container and place in the freezer.
At Camp
- Add the meatballs and sauce to a pot or skillet. Bring to a simmer and cover for 5 minutes. If the meatballs are large, consider breaking them in half with a spatula.2 cups marinara sauce
- Optional: Toast the hoagie rolls.4 hoagie rolls
- Place the sliced cheese in the buns and then place the meatballs and sauce on top. Sprinkle with grated parmesan.4 slices provalone cheese, ½ cup parmesan cheese
- Serve and enjoy!